Julie Stevens (born Julia Bullas; born 20 December 1936) is an English actress, presenter and singer, best known in Britain for her appearances on children's television.
Career
Stevens was born in
Prestwich
Prestwich ( ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester, England, north of Manchester city centre, north of Salford and south of Bury.
Historically part of Lancashire, Prestwich was the seat of the ancient parish o ...
and attended
Stand Grammar School. She trained as a nurse at
Manchester Royal Infirmary
Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI) is a large NHS teaching hospital in Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester, England. Founded by Charles White in 1752 as part of the voluntary hospital movement of the 18th century, it is now a major regional and nati ...
, after starting her television career as a comedienne in TV show ''Bid for Fame''. She was a regular on ''
Play School'' and ''
Play Away
''Play Away'' is a British television children's programme. A sister programme to the infants' series '' Play School'', it was aimed at slightly older children.
It ran from 1971 until 1984, and was broadcast on Saturday afternoons on BBC 2.Alist ...
'', and provided vocals for the schools television series ''
Look and Read
''Look and Read'' is a BBC Television programme for primary schools, aimed at improving children's literacy skills. The programme presents fictional stories in a serial format, the first of which was broadcast in 1967 and the most recent in 20 ...
''.
During the 1962–63 season she played Venus Smith, an occasional partner of
John Steed
Major The Hon. John Wickham Gascoyne Beresford Steed usually known as John Steed, is a fictional character and the central protagonist on the 1960s British spy series '' The Avengers'' and its 1970s sequel '' The New Avengers'', played by Patr ...
in the TV series, ''
The Avengers
Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to:
Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe
* Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes
** Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes o ...
'', alternating with
Honor Blackman
Honor Blackman (22 August 1925 – 5 April 2020) was an English actress, known for the roles of Cathy Gale in '' The Avengers''Aaker, Everett (2006). ''Encyclopedia of Early Television Crime Fighters''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 58. (1962â ...
's
Cathy Gale
Dr. Catherine "Cathy" Gale is a fictional character played by Honor Blackman, on the 1960s British series '' The Avengers''. She was the first regular female partner of John Steed, following the departure of Steed's original male co-star, Dr Davi ...
. Venus was a nightclub singer, and each of her appearances included at least one musical number. She appeared in only six episodes, and Stevens is not usually included in the list of "''Avengers'' girls".
In 1964, Stevens appeared in the British comedy film ''
Carry On Cleo
''Carry On Cleo'' is a 1964 British historical comedy film, the tenth in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). Regulars Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Kenneth Connor, Charles Hawtrey, and Jim Dale are present and Connor made his la ...
'' playing the slave girl Gloria. She also co-starred with
Denise Coffey
Denise Dorothy Coffey (12 December 1936 – 24 March 2022) was an English actress, director and playwright.
Early life
Coffey was born in Aldershot in 1936, the only child of Dorothy (''née'' Malcolm), and her husband, Denis Coffey, an Irishm ...
in the 1969–71
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
comedy series ''Girls About Town'', and appeared in the children's historical comedy series ''
Cabbages and Kings'' (1972) opposite
Johnny Ball
Johnny Ball (born Graham Thalben Ball; 23 May 1938) is an English television personality, a populariser of mathematics and the father of BBC Radio 2 DJ Zoe Ball.
Early life
Ball was born in Bristol and attended Kingswood Primary School on th ...
and
Derek Griffiths
Derek Griffiths (born 15 July 1946) is a British actor, singer, and voice artist who appeared in numerous British children's television series in the 1960s to present and has more recently played parts in television drama.
Career
Griffiths was ...
.
Personal life
She married actor John White in January 1962; they had two children, but separated in 1975. Stevens was later married to the actor and director Michael Hucks from 1981 until 2001. White, who was also a presenter on
Play School during the late 1960s, died from bone cancer in 1993.
[Here's A House: A Celebration of Play School, Volume 1, Paul R Jackson, 2010]
Discography
*''Songs from Play School'', with
Rick Jones and
Jonathan Cohen (1969)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stevens, Julie
1936 births
English television actresses
English television presenters
Living people
People from Prestwich
BBC television presenters
People educated at Stand Grammar School